The invention relates to a method of making a microsystem such as a microsystem laser, using microelectronics, micromechanical and micro-optical techniques.
Methods for structuring semiconductor materials--such as silicon and gallium arsenide--by anisotropic etching, for instance, are known. In particular, it is possible to produce rather complicated structures in individual wafers in a defined sequence of different treatments. In all the corresponding methods in the prior art, however, the individual heterogeneous components of a microsystem are integrated on a common base, which means that each system has to be manufactured virtually individually. Simultaneous machining of similar components without adjustment or positioning of the individual compartments has not been possible thus far in the prior art, as may be learned for instance from German Patent 39 25 201 and German Patent Application P 40 41 130.3-33. The latter application discloses a method for contacting wafers (or in other words different bonding methods) and so-called optical contacting.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method in which, using known semiconductor batch processing techniques, complex microsystems can be produced that besides the horizontal structures also preferably have vertical structures forming the microsystems, wherein all the wafers are adjusted to one another and contacted to one another, and a parallel and mutually independent functioning of the microsystems is made possible.
This object is achieved according to the invention by joining a stack of wafers made of semiconductor quartz or crystal material, each containing an array of a particular element or elements of a microsystem. The respective wafers are positioned (each as a unit) relative to each other and joined to form an array of vertically structured duplicate microsystems, which may be separated or operated as a planar array.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.